>> "bbc world news" is presented by kcet, los angeles. funding for this presentation is made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu, the newman's own foundation, and the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation, and union bank. ♪ >> union bank has put its financial strength to work for a wide range of companies, from small businesses to major corporations. what can we do for you?

>> and now "bbc world news." >> two days of crashes and more than 150 people are dead. the nigerian government begins an assault on the rebels. the u.s. secretary robert gates has said iraq has improved amazingly. south african strikes by government workers and protests in the townships. welcome to "bbc world news." coming up later for you, a spectacular sight, but a climate change disaster. marineland plays host to the northern hemisphere's fastest but -- greenland plays host to the northern hemisphere as fast as collapsing hemispherhabitat. and these witches get to work in

britain. nigeria is no stranger to ethnic and religious tension, but the violence that flared up in the past two days in the predominantly muslim north of the country is some of the worst in the wild carrot at least 150 people were killed after the military were ordered to open road use all necessary in and means" to end the violence. they are demanding sharia law. the nigerian president says armed insurrection will not be tolerated. >> of the attacks on police buildings and government offices began on sunday. tension had been rising for some time. northern nigeria has a long history of ethnic and religious differences.

this time, the violence is blamed on groups of islamic militants. the security forces are said to be looking for mohammed yusef, whose followers are known as boko harum, a sect that does not believe in western education. the authorities have not stepped up security across the north of the country with roadblocks and -- haveç now stepped up securiy across the north of the country with a vote -- with roadblocks. some of the worst violence has been in the city of my degree. support for the mill -- of my degree. -- my degremaiduguri. >> [unintelligible] and also [unintelligible]

>> this has been the deadliest sectarian violence in nigeria since late last year when several hundred people were killed in the city of joss in direct clashes between nigerians and christians. they have allowed militants from a lifted -- religious and ethnic groups to express their frustrations more freely. the introduction of sharia law in several northern states has only exacerbated the differences in areas of poverty and where there is often competition for scarce resources. nigerians often look to their immense oil wealth to pull them out of poverty, but few have actually benefited. the trade in stolen oil has led to violence and corruption in the niger delta, the home of the oil industry. poor security and a shaky infrastructure continue to hamper increase production. and that is no lesser challenge

for the president's government has the latest troubles in the north. >> amazingly different, those were the words today from the u.s. defense secretary robert gates, describing iraq after an official visit there. he praised the improved security situation after seeing how american troops are adapting to their new non-combat role. from the capital, gabriel gatehouse now reports. >> robert gates came to iraq to hear firsthand how the 130,000 u.s. soldiers still in iraq were adapting to their new supporting role in the country, taking their cues from the iraqi commanders, shifting their focus from combat training. >> and now in the end of 2011, when all u.s. troops are scheduled to depart iraq, we

have a number of milestones to complete, including fair and free elections and the complete drawdown of u.s. forces leading to a change of mission beginning in august 2010. >> august 2010 is when the pentagon wants a complete end to u.s. missions in iraq. robert gates hailed the progress that has been made to date. and well he might, because in 2006, at the height of the sectarian violence that nearly tore the country apart, compared to that, iraq is a very different place. there are still a tax that takes place daily in many towns and cities. u.s. patrols continue in some urban areas, albeit under iraqi supervision. there are rising tensions between baghdad and the kurdistan north.

they're dividing revenue from the natural resources, especially kirkuk, which the kurds claimed lies outside their jurisdiction. they fear that it did not resolve this by the americans are still in iraq, that they will slip back into fighting and mr. gates will be pushing both sides into a compromise. the iraqi government has said it is interested in buying american f-16 fighter jets to build up its fledgling air force. these would help protect iraq from any outside threats after the americans leave. it would not, though, saw the country's many internal problems. >> all of this essentially boils down to one question, how to get 130,000 troops out of iraq by the end of 2011 without the security situation getting any worse. >> the iranian authorities have released 140 opposition

supporters seized in the aftermath of last month's disputed presidential elections. the detainees were being held in the main evin prison, but were given bail out after a committee of -- after a committee. officials from the d.ae.a. went to dr. conrad mary's home after an investigation into michael the senate judiciary committee has voted to approve sonia sotomayor's nomination. she will become the country's first hispanic justice and only the third woman to serve in the role. she is expected to face a final vote in the full senate next week. the townships of south africa saw renewed violence today. the police fired rubber bullets

at demonstrators gathered near johannesburg to protest against kdot how in -- against housing conditions. clashes have taken place in townships in recent weeks for large unions have gone on strike. in east johannesburg, here is the pbc's john f. fischer. -- jonah fisher. >> the state and angry residents clashed in these very streets years ago, but the state is in our democracy. but little has changed from south africa's dark days. the people are fed up with waiting. in the end, the police fired rubber bullets to disperse the demonstrations. >> because there has been a flashpoint throughout this winter, there have been regular clashes between the people and the police. it has not hard -- it has not been hard to work out when there have been demonstrations as well.

but the houses, no water, no electricity and some people have been waiting for their new house to be built for over 15 years. >> we have no water, no electricity, no toilet. >> they feel they have been promised something that never came. >> no water, no electricity. >> why should your government give you that? >> we did vote them. >> under the plan. >> as the search continues for ringleader's from the morning's clash, it is clear this is a problem being contained. it is yet to be solved prepare. >> it will not stop until they give us what we want. >> with the anc having won its

fourth consecutive election earlier this year, event of the last few weeks show just how many south africans now see violent demonstrations as their only way of being heard. >> there are new warnings about the impact of global warming on the net -- the northern hemisphere's greatest mass of ice, the greenland ice sheet. scientists say ice sheets are now retreating faster than at any time since records began. steven has been to the west of greenland to find dartmoor. -- to find out more. >> it takes a steady nerve to sail into this ice fjord. these eyes -- these waters on greenland coast are littered with icebergs, some way and millions of tons. the vast roxanna vice tell a disturbing story. the greenland ice sheet is in

retreat. this is where the icebergs are formed. you can see the steep drop where the ice shearer's off the glass your front. the northern hemisphere's most active blas schear has retreated the fastest since record has begun. >> we are seen reactions and not in 100 years, but in one to two years. >> the ice melt threatens rising seas and rising temperatures as the planet absorbs more heat. i joined a team of scientists down for one of the most remote research stations in the world. their aim, to decode the message coming from within the ice. at the camp, the ice is a mile and a half thick and hundreds of

thousands of years old. they are drilling samples from the oldest eyes, which predates the last great warming of the earth -- the oldest ice, which predates the last reforming of the earth. their concern is that manz actions have set off a chain reaction that will be hard to stop. >> we have to act. if we delay any more, we will find it much harder to mitigate the changes that are already occurring. >> this month, the world's environment ministers came to greenland for talks in the run- change summit. the scientific consensus says industrialized countries must cut greenhouse gas emissions 40% by 2020 to avoid the worst of the global warming. politically, that looks impossible. the search for compromise is on.

>> we have to put pressure on governments and expectations of worldwide so they have to act. we have to make the price so high that they do not dare not deliver. >> the message that is coming from all of the science being done here in the arctic could not be clearer, the warming effect is dramatic and is speeding up. the politicians know it, but they're still arguing about how to respond. the disconnect between science and politics is growing. >> you are watching "bbc world news" and still to come, tough times for detroit as the motor city faces meltdown. the british government is being sued over its alleged role in the cia's program known as

extraordinary rendition. a charity group is praveen the action on behalf of ichbel modny. he says he was tortured after being taken through europe on a plane that had to refuel in england. >> he says he was just on a trip to visit relatives in indonesia when he was arrested by u.s. officials. handcuffed and put it, he was aware of this photo been taken. >> read there for half an hour. i felt the pressure of the cameras. a lot of people took pictures of me. >> the bbc file now suggest that the stop was on british territory. but the government says no terror suspects landed there. from the beginning, he says he was tortured and medical

treatment was withheld. >> the cia was shown me my medical file like this. if you cooperate, we will get you medical treatment. if you do not cooperate, we will not. we are not doctors. we are soldiers and americans. this is some people -- the islamic people are not killing religion. i feel bad for any innocent people who died in 9/11. >> there is no way of saying whether this man is innocent or guilty. it is impossible now to have a fair trial. what is clear is that he was tortured and he does appear to have landed on british territory during his time in captivity pureed -- in captivity. >> this is "bbc world news" and

these are the headlines so far. bloody clashes in northern nigeria between a radical islamist group and security forces have left at least 150 people dead. the american defense secretary robert gates says iraqi security has improved, he said, "amazingly." back in the 1960's, the booming u.s. car industry was one of the fastest -- was one of the things drawing african-americans away from their homes in the southern states. they sought a better life in the north and they found it. it was the birth of the african- american middle class. to 40 years on, the prospects are different for the car makers. what does that mean for the livelihood's that depended on them? >> lord, we come to you today, thanking you for this gathering. >> they might also give thanks for the ford company.

roy is now retired after 36 years on the fourth payroll. his wife, jane can i still there, 31 years and counting, as are four of their sons. >> i was making $2 and something and our back in 1966. i think i went up to about $29 per hour when i retired. for an uneducated guy just out of high school, it provided a good life for me. >> and it was a similar story for tens of thousands of african-americans over the past century, drawn to the bride groom shine of the car parts. in detroit, -- the bright chrome shine of the car parts. in detroit, ford led the way. >> we had a blue collar middle- class. highç wages that enabled them o secure the home in the suburbs, two cars, the boat, the cabin up north fourtfor vacations.

and also, education for their children >> jane granger and her sons may still have jobs, but this is a very different industry. nationally, 20,000 out black autoworkers have either been laid off or taken by doubt -- taken buyouts. >> and carol baker is still in his house, but not for much louder. he lost his job -- his job with general motors after 26 years. his severance pay, just $20,000. he is heading for california and need a job and a place to live. it is a move he never imagined he would have to make. >> who would anticipate that in 2009, gm would be bankrupt? i never figured that would happen. >> the grangers lifestyle is holding up pretty well. they got far enough ahead in the good years not to be hit too hard by the recession. roy is now retired and ford has kept his pension benefits largely intact.

jane still brings in a good wage. for their sons, well, they are making half of what their parents once made and their benefits do not compare. >> parents always want their kids to do much better one -- than what they are doing. but i do not think they will do as good as what i have done trud. >> unless other well paying jobs appear fast, it almost certainly fall with the car industry. >> the leader of china's uighur minority is visiting japan. the trick is causing controversy in beijing, which accuses the leader of masterminding the recent violence in the northwestern region of the country. he denies any involvement in the pilots. the u.s. envoy, george mitchell says good progress is happening

with his talks with benjamin the two were understanding -- benjamin netanyahu some of the biggest film studios in hollywood are suing a swedish file sharing side because they say they still allowing internet users to illegally download their films. earlier this year, a swedish court put two executives in prison for breaking copyright law. there are some big gains for the far-right party in last month's parliamentary elections. in hungary, the conservative party was elected for the first time. it took a hard line on that gypsy peoples. -- on gypsy people. >> read done garringer guard. they said they just want to -- meet the hon gary in guard. they said it is want to bring

order to the people. others say there are extremists. >> this is not true. we are not against any ethnic minority. we want order in general. the hon. guard is much more than this. -- the hungarian guard is much more than this. the far right is making more progress in parliament. in june, three members of the parliament closely associated with the guard were elected. the international media are assessed with the party being anti roma, but still alleged from a crime is a big part the platform. >> rapes, a gang rapes, killings, murder of elderly people during a of a robbery in

their own house. we are seeing the level of violence has been increasing. the police have been unable to put an end to it. >> but on a run down, housing and state -- run down roma housing estate, there is growing and concern. the people are already on the margins of society. and a series of unsolved murders and arson attacks against aroma have left communities across the country about what will happen next -- across the country nervous about what will happen next. >> yes, there is fear, and not just a little. everyone is scared for their lives and we have organized cards to keep watch so there will not be any trouble. -- organized guards to keep watch seller will not be any trouble. >> the message from the hungarian guard isç also provig

popular. the far right is moving away from the anti- room a rhetoric of the past. but all of the members of the guard said they want to see law- and-order properly enforced, are the members of a far-right paramilitary? -- or are they members of a far- right paramilitary? >> today, hundreds of one of the witches were being interviewed for a yearlong drug at a tourist attraction -- hundreds of want to be witches were being interviewed for a yearlong job at a tourist attraction. >> and a job interview is nerve wracking, but this really was the selection process. >> it is not often you get a chance to produce your witchy skills in public. >> you want to look your best. and you need to keep busy, and

it the way those nerves. -- and it away those nerves. they came on their broomsticks from all over the world, 300 would be witches, but only one job. [cackling] >> ehab a breath. have a deep breath. who is going to get to the job? >> imad as well make a living out of it, mike tendai? -- mightn't i? >> the pay is 50,000 pounds per year. no wonder things were getting a little tense amongst the witches. they each had a minute to pitch for the job of which. -- witch.

>> what unique skills would you bring to this role? >> well, i will show you. >> he did not win. she did. calamity carla. the judges said they liked her naughty side and she comes perfectly qualified. until now, she has been an estate agents. >> just before we close this half-hour, a reminder of the top stories so far. the nigerian military has been fighting a radical islamic group. at least 150 people have been killed. the military was ordered to use "all necessary means" to end the violence. the south african -people are da

law. do not forget the latest headlines at bbc.com. >> "bbc world news" was presented by kcet, los angeles. funding for this presentation was made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu, the newman's own foundation, and the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation, and union bank. ♪ >> union bank has put its financial strength to work for a wide range of companies, from small businesses to major corporations. what can we do for you?